| The Decay | |
 The Decay, as seen in the Dark Forest. | |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Aliases | The Decay of the Forest |
| Area of Origin | The Heart of the Decay, in Gavel Province |
| Affected Areas | Olux Swamp, Dark Forest, Kander Forest |
| Created By | The Parasite,[1] Dernmites (Parasite's offspring)[2] |
| Started In | 0 AP (entrance of the Parasite into Gavel),[3] 800 AP (started spreading, after the creation of the Heart of the Decay)[1] |
| “ | Deep underground, unnoticed by all but one, creatures crawl through the earth. They drain the land of their essence, steadily withering it to a husk. Prolonged presence of these creatures leads to varying and unpredictable consequences. They are small, elusive and without weaponry. But if nothing changes, they may leech every ounce of light from the province. Such is the Decay. | „ |
| ~ The Bane of Gavel |
The Decay is a major issue, similar to the Corruption, that plagues the Gavel Province. To sum it up, the Decay is the effect of Darkness parasites removing Gavel's light and spreading Darkness.[2] Introduced approximately 1000 years ago in Gavel's past,[3] the Decay poses one of the biggest threats to Gavel's well being, degrading once pristine lands into dark, twisted regions full of tortured creatures.[2] One of the best examples of a region twisted by the Decay's power is the Kander Forest in North Central Gavel.
Origin[]
In 0 AP, a Parasite of the Realm of Darkness emerged from a portal to Dern.[3] The Parasite leeched off of the light of the light beast, Orphion, which caused light to fade in the Light Forests. As the Guardian of The Forest stated to the player, what happens in one realm, affects the corresponding land on the physical plane. An elf named Lari has tried to deal with the Decay herself, but her stubbornness to cling to her morals had let the Parasite remain in Gavel.[4]
Spread[]
The Decay is spread thanks to the Dernmites, tiny bugs that are created by the Parasite in the Heart of the Decay, which it created in 800 AP as a way to create other, smaller creatures that would carry out its purpose of leeching the light from Gavel in the name of the darkness.[1] The Dernmites burrow deep underground and move all across Northern Gavel, leeching off of Gavel's light, far from the eyes of the native Villagers.[2]
Even after the Parasite left the Heart of the Decay to infect Orphion under the Dern Beast's orders, the Dernmites still hatch within it regularly.[1]
Effect[]
While the first spot of the Decay was where the Caritat Mansion is now, the place where it is strongest at is the Heart of the Decay, which has caused the Kander Forest to become more lifeless, turning the once-bright and vibrant place into an eldritch wasteland. Surrounding areas like the Dark Forest and Olux Swamp are also feeling the effects of the Decay, with the crops withering away and slowly becoming more rotten. The reason the Light Forest has not yet fallen to the Decay unlike the Dark Forest is because of Lari's efforts to keep the seal in place.[5] The Villagers of Llevigar were also victims of the Decay, as they tried to find new frontiers to escape the effects of the Decay.[6] The Decay itself is also creeping into the Gylia Plains, although The Colossus is making the canyons shift,[7] keeping them out[8] of the Canyon of the Lost.
Trivia[]
- Qira, Mistress of the Hive was asked to eliminate the Decay, however, she declined.[9]